Tuesday, October 11, 2016

Last Sunday we began a new sermon series at DPC, opening up the book of Exodus.

As you think about the book of Exodus, it's tempting to regard Moses as the "main character" of this true story. Moses, from a first reading, seems to be the hero of the story. It's obvious!

But is he?

Who is it that is at work behind the scenes, keeping his promise?

Who is it that hears the bitter cries of an anguished people, in the midst of their torture and misery?

Who is it that meets suffering with compassion and power?

Who is it that raises up a deliverer to bring the people out of bondage?

Who is it that reveals himself as the eternal I AM?

Who is it that is actually changing everything as the story progresses?

Who is it that brings his holy wrath upon an evil government?

Who is it that divides the sea?

Who is it that overthrows the enemy, casting them into the depths of the sea?

Who is it that provides food and drink for the throng of helpless refugees in the desert?

Who is it that meets his people at the mountain, with fire and thunder and smoke and trumpet blast?

Who is it that publishes his law, written in stone?

Who is it that floods every inch of the tabernacle with the radiance of his glory?

From the first page to the last, there is one Hero in Exodus. And it's not Moses.

Reflect on these words, from Philip Ryken:

To read Exodus... is to encounter God. The book is about the mercy, justice, holiness, and glory of almighty God, who rules history by his sovereign power and who saves the people of his covenant. When the Biblical writers recall the exodus, they rarely mention Moses at all; instead, they speak of the wonders of God. This gives us a hint that the proper way to study Exodus is to pay constant attention to what the book is showing and telling about the character of God. Exodus is an exercise in theology, which is simply the study of God.

Wednesday, October 5, 2016

We begin a new sermon series THIS SUNDAY, in which we'll discover (along with Moses) more of this God who finally and fully revealed himself to us in Christ, and how this God is always loving his people... even in the wilderness.

"Exodus is about a man, Moses, who sets all against the reality of divine sovereignty and measures all in terms of God's requirements. Exodus is about a nation, Israel, moving from slavery in Egypt into freedom.... But ultimately Exodus is about the God of the covenant who has instituted a new relationship between himself and those whom he has called to be his people. It is about how he introduces himself to them, acts on their behalf and shows them the real difference it makes that the LORD [Yahweh] is their God, and about the patience he shows as he leads them out of their grumbling, even outright rebellion, until he comes to dwell in their midst."

~John L. Mackay

"[The Exodus] cannot possibly be fictional. No nation would be likely to invent for itself, and faithfully transmit century after century and millennium after millennium, an inglorious and inconvenient tradition of this nature."

~Nahum Sarna

"If you believed Moses, you would believe me; for he wrote of me."

~Jesus of Nazareth

If you'd like to read a short introduction to the book of Exodus (much of which will serve as our main text for this series), you may find one here:

Twenty One Theologians

About Me

Husband of an excellent wife who is far more precious than jewels. Daddy of five workers of iniquity who are also beloved gifts from the Lord, children of the covenant, arrows in the hand of a warrior. Pastor of the family of God's blood-bought people known as Decatur Presbyterian Church, against whom the gates of Hell shall not prevail. Follower of the Risen King of the Universe, the Conqueror of Death, the One who has paid the ransom for me & has not treated me as my sins deserved.